Tournament Poker...

Well, after about a year of playing no-limit Texas hold'em, I have finally won a large sum of money in a tournament that I placed third in last night. In a field of over 650 players for a tournament with a buy-in of $15 I won over $800. Does anybody else here play tournament/cash-game poker?

That's great HSIG!

I've never played tournament poker. A little intimadating to me I guess, not to mention how expensive it could be. I'm not sure how these tournaments work, but do you play one type of poker only, or was there a variety of poker games played? Also, what was you're best hand of the evening? Any big losers? :p


TIS

I'm not big on tournaments. Because of the way they're structured, I feel that way too much luck is involved. Also, I don't really care for Hold 'Em.

But I do play seven card stud cash games quite frequently in Atlantic City, and have done OK over the years.

I find that the bigger the game, the better the players (no surprise there), but I've found my niche in $10 limit and usually win.

As soon as I move up in class to the $20 limit games though, I wind up getting outplayed too frequently.

To answer a couple of your questions, TIS....

In a tournament, you play only one game - usually Texas Hold 'Em, like you see a lot of on TV,

There are no "big losers". Everyone pays the same entry fee (the "buy-in", which in HSIG's case was $15). That's the most that you can lose.

In exchange for the entry fee, everyone receives the same amount in "tournament chips" - say $1000.

Then everyone starts to play.

In a tournament with 650 people, they start with 65 full tables of ten people each. As players are eliminated by losing their tournament chips, they keep consolidating the tables until it's down to just one table with ten people.

The tournament which HSIG descriibed had 650 entrants, paying $15 each, so the total prize pool was $9750.

The "house" (the casino or poker club which was running the tournament) probably took about $2000 or so right off the top as their profit, leaving about $7750 to be divided among the top finishers.

If he finished third and won $800, in a tournament with 650 entrants I'd guess the prize structure went something like this:

Plaw, does AC have legal house shills in their poker games like some of the casinos in Vegas do?


Don Cardi

No, they don't.

The first time I was in Vegas, though, I was amazed that they did have house players.

But to get one of those guys to put a dollar in a pot was a miracle.

I play poker. I personally like playing cash games better, but I'm always up for a good tournament. Thanks to poker, I dont need a job right now. My parents hate it

Presumably you're too young to play in the casinos, RB.

When you are, though, I advise you to start slowly.

The difference between that and playing in a "home game" with your friends can be quite astounding.

PLaw, so the example you gave-- You buy in for say $15. and for $15 they give everyone same amount of chips, and it's a process of elimination. When you lose all your chips(ha ha, see I'm presuming), you're out????? Is that correct?

Yea, I'm sure it's different playing "for real" compared to playing with friends. I've watched some of the "big time" players in Vegas. Just seeing the stacks of chips is intimidating. It's fun to watch though. Still, I'll stick with video poker at casinos.


TIS

I play at the Turning Stone in New York quite often. You only have to be 18 to play there.

That's it.

As far as the big stacks of chips go, remember that on TV they are showing you maybe the finl table; the 8-0 survivors from an original field of maybe thousands, so naturally everyone left has all of the other players chips between them.

Why, that's an outrage! I'm shocked! Letting 18 year olds gamble like that

Turning Stone.....that's the one near Syracuse, isn't it? About five hours from NYC? You say a lot of kids play there?

Maybe I'll take a ride one day...... Do you play in no limit cash games also, or just tournaments?

That's what separates the men from the boys. :p

Do you play in no limit cash games also, or just tournaments?

That's what separates the men from the boys. :p [/quote]Sorry for my delay in response, I've been busy. Anyways, yes, I play in no-limit cash games as well but I love tournament play because I find it a tad bit more exciting. Plus, people often sit at the table at a cash game for hours and double and maybe triple their money, but in a tournament if you last and play key hands, you can multiply your money by ridiculous amounts...for instance, my win was about 55 times my buy-in fee, so I profited immensely. I love that aspect about tournament play, but yes, I play in cash games, too.

But as you say......

You've been playing for a year before you finally made a good score.

Figure in all of your entry fees and divide that by the amount of prize money you won, and see if you doubled or tripled your money.

Try a no-limit cash game, when going all-in means putting up real money, rather than tournament chips which cost you only $15.

That's why I prefer a cash game.

Large tournaments with small buy-ins, given the rate at which they raise the blinds, are mostly a matter of luck, IMO.

Everyone plays loose at the beginning - you almost have to - hoping to hit a big pot and buy time, and they can afford to play that way because the risk - the low buy-in - is negligible.

Yes, as I said, I play no-limit cash games at local casinos but I think tournament play is a tad bit more exciting for some reason. Either way, my "big score" still doesn't surpass what I've lost so regrettably, I'm still down. Either way, it's only a matter of time.

I play on Jetset myself. they have a free turny that you can win money on...nice huh